A Guide to Using Votive Candles to Brighten Up and Glamourise Your Wedding

Even though we live in a world where electricity illuminates our nights, candles and the gentle organic glow they produce still have an exceptional charm. Most people view candles as a lovely novelty or a way to enhance the ambience of their homes or other spaces. However, wedding planners know far too well they’re necessary to capture the ideal mood at events, making them feel truly unique.

Votives are a versatile option, a wedding accessory that can spruce up any wedding decor. Votives are small, short candles, making it easy to change the colour scheme, scent, or space ambience quickly and simply. They provide an easy and inexpensive way to create a warm, inviting atmosphere in any room or event. Read on to learn why you should include them in your wedding decor and how you can use them to decorate.

Reasons Why Votive Candles Go with Any Wedding Decor

Since the wedding is one of the biggest celebrations of any couple’s life, presenting the ultimate occasion for friends and family to gather and participate at the beginning of a new life journey, the venue and the decor must reflect your taste.

votive candles
Source: weddingsofdistinction.com.au

Whether you decide on contemporary, dramatic or vintage wedding decor, you can easily incorporate votives into each style. Here are five reasons to buy votive candles to brighten up and glamourise your big day.

You Can Use Them to Create Amazing Centrepieces

Considering these candles have a small design and, if used in conjunction with other décor items, they can help you reflect the theme of your wedding. You can use them to line the aisle at your wedding or group them with other décor elements like flowers and houseplants to make table centrepieces. For a more dynamic appearance, you can also combine contrasting hues or lighter and darker shades of the same colour.

You Can Pair Them with Any Votive Candle Holder

Modern votive candle holders are commonly available in various designs and hues to match your wedding. These votive candle holders and votives, ranging from mercury-flecked metallic to those with intricate cut-out details, will produce mesmerising flickering reflections at your wedding.

You Can Use Them to Give a Personalised Touch

If you want to add a personal touch to your wedding, consider personalised glass votives with your names and those of your spouse on them, or candles that say something like, “Thank you for attending the ceremony,” along with the date of your marriage. Use these as wedding favours or decorate dining tables with sweet notes or fresh flowers.

personalised glass votives
Source: beau-coup.com

They’re Ideal for Both Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

Votive candles will enhance the décor whether you have your wedding in an enclosed or public area. You can use them in various ways: as centrepieces indoors with wall votive candle holders and hanging chandeliers or to decorate walkways and other outdoor areas, such as gardens.

They’re Space Friendly and Mess Free

Because they are large, require a lot of time to assemble, and make a mess if the table shakes, people occasionally abandon the idea of using table centrepieces. These candles are the most straightforward yet practical option. Combine them with traditional holders and other home accents for a captivating appeal. Additionally, they are simple to set up and take down and won’t damage expensive furniture. You can use them on the floor or on the tables.

How Do You Style Votive Candles?

Once you buy votive candles for your wedding decor, you’ll want to know how to decorate them for your wedding. Luckily, there are a ton of different ways to do that. These are some of the best ideas to personalise your votive candle holders for your big day.

Paint the Votive Holders

The possibilities for painting holders are practically limitless. You can paint them quickly by dipping them in various colours, or you can paint each one separately with unique designs. Look for paints that will adhere to glass or plastic well if you want your holders to last for a while.

painted votive holders
Source: decoratorist.com

Draw or paint stripes, flowers, words, or other patterns using acrylic enamel paint that comes in a wide range of colours and works well on glass. You could also paint the holders with chalkboard paint to let visitors draw on them with chalk.

Another method to decorate them is by using tape and spray paint. Use painter’s tape to ensure it comes clean off the holder. Use spray paint to completely cover it once you’ve decorated it with tape. Peeling off the tape will reveal your pattern once the paint has dried.

Another idea is to write each guest’s name on the holders using a paint pen. That’s an excellent way to direct visitors to their seats while providing them with a keepsake. Write them on the holders using a paint pen of your choosing. Additionally, you can add a flower, heart, or other symbols next to each of their names.

Create Designs with Adhesives

For a quick fix, buy stick-on decals. Find decals for your holders at nearby craft or big-box stores, such as those with hearts, gold patterns, or wording. These are usually available as stickers, making decorating a breeze.

To give the holders a reflective feel, glue on glass beads. Locate glass beads with a flat side so you can easily add them to the surface. The holders should be covered in hot glue or super glue before each glass bead carefully adheres to the outside of the holder.

Wrap Them Up

For an outdoor feel, find natural objects to wrap around the holders. You can use dried leaves, bark, twigs, and flowers. Tie the items around with a piece of twine to form a bow that will hold everything together. To easily decorate the holder, wrap ribbon around it. Make holders with lace wrappings for elegant lighting. For a rustic look, wrap the holder in twine or yarn.